Browse Notices

Shrimps' Branding Power

State officials have released a preview of a program
that could lead to the identification, branding and marketing of
Louisiana-certified wild-caught shrimp. As proposed, it's a four-phase,
voluntary program that would certify the authenticity of Louisiana
shrimp through the efforts of harvesters and processors. Ewell
Smith, executive director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and
Marketing Board, says major seafood buyers nationwide have become
increasingly interested in certified quality-control products. In this
case, "quality control" means that every stop a wild-caught shrimp
makes from being pulled out the water to being placed on the consumer's
plate would be accounted for in detail. While several state agencies
have been working on such a program for years, the recently created
Louisiana Shrimp Task Force has helped fast-track the effort.
Supporters hope the program will not only help broaden the discussion
of Louisiana shrimp, but also create new marketing strategies for
fishermen and processors. Alaska, among other states, has a similar
seafood program on the books and it took nearly two decades to perfect
and implement. The proposed program would operate on two levels: one
for fishermen and another for processors. On the harvester side, the
program would certify that fishermen are implementing food-safety
practices that will be developed by university and industry scientists.
For processors, the program might call for random inspections beginning
on the docks, new sanitary regulations, stricter labeling rules and
physical specifications for the product's appearance. Implementing the
program won't be cheap, and members of the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force
admit that government aid may be needed.

"The carrot, we hope, will be the ability to market a
premium, branded wild-caught shrimp," says Dr. Carrie Castille,
deputy assistant commissioner of the Louisiana Department of
Agriculture. "Consumers will eventually see the logo or the brand or
the trademark and they'll know it's a safe, quality product."
Restaurants would be allowed to use the proposed trademark on their
menus as well, but they would have to voluntarily allow on-site
inspections to take part in the program. — Jeremy
Alford